Leader Launch Week 2024
From August 24–28, the Music and Media Arts field welcomed its student leaders back to campus for our annual Leaders’ Launch Week—a pre-semester time of training, culture building, and preparation for the year ahead.
Some of the week’s activities brought everyone all together—the Communications practicum teams and the student exec teams for each Music ensemble. Professors from the Music and Communications programs taught on teambuilding, leadership development, group decision making, project management, and more.
There was also time to play! The week started with a taco bar and social gathering where students reunited with old friends and introduced themselves to new teammates and other student leaders.
The bulk of the week, however, was spent in planning and preparation and recruitment.
The exec teams of the Music ensembles (Chorale, Moody Campus Orchestra, Gospel Choir, and Worship Collectives) set up booths in the plaza to welcome new students on Move-In Day. This recruitment opportunity is always exciting as ensemble veterans meet potential new members for the first time. For many ensemble members, their time making music together is among the most formative of their college experiences, and the ensemble leadership is always excited to extend that welcome to others. The ensemble exec teams also facilitated auditions for the new students and organized themselves for the coming year of music-making. Finally, they also led musical worship during New Student Orientation and the annual dedication service.
Each practicum team in the Communications department spent many hours in brainstorming and planning sessions. This brief season of vision-casting and dreaming helps to guide their work for the rest of the year. For example, the Literary Practicum Team chose its theme for the ARCH Yearbook and Thin Space Art & Theology Journal, and they established their production calendar for the Fall semester
Each ensemble and practicum team had one crucial and common goal for Leaders’ Launch Week: team building. Whether they were planning to lead a group of 50 singers in Chorale, to design the yearbook, or to craft an original film, the foundation of friendship, respect, servanthood, and diligence laid by these student leaders every year provides a firm footing for the M&MA field, the school, and beyond.